The Saladwich Is the Best of Both Lunch Worlds

Welcome to Cooking Without Recipes, in which we teach you how to make a dish we love, but don’t worry too much about the nitty-gritty details of the recipe, so you can create your own spin. This is Healthyish editor Amanda Shapiro's recipe for a saladwich.

I’m embarrassed to be writing about my saladwich. As the Healthyish editor, I’d like you to think that my work lunches consist of ancient grain pilafs at abcV or deliveries of favas & peas from Verde. Sure, that stuff happens. And I’m definitely posting photos. But what you don’t see is me rummaging through the communal fridge most days, searching for a Tupperware that looks the same as everyone else’s, and complaining to Alyse about the smell.

Back to the saladwich. I realized a while back that lunch salads—no matter how big I make them or how much stuff I put in—will always make me feel sad, and then I’ll want to eat cookies. So I make a salad between bread instead. Yep, that’s the recipe: Make salad. Put between bread.

First, the bread. You want something sturdy enough to hold the “special sauce,” which I’ll tell you about in a second. I try to keep a loaf of sourdough or whole wheat miche in the freezer, thickly sliced, then I’ll lightly (lightly!) toast it when it’s saladwich-making time.

Now, that sauce. Bear with me here. When I have nothing in the fridge, I have hummus, and I have mustard. They are a tangy, creamy, don’t-knock-until-you-try power couple. They are this saladwich’s “special sauce.” You could mix the two together, a heaping Tbsp. of each, or just smear one on top of the other on the bread.

(Still so embarrassed to be telling you this.)

From here, your ingredients will change. I like thick slices of tomatoes when the season is right and any type of cheese—mozzarella, cheddar, Havarti—I might have around. Cucumbers are lovely in this saladwich, as are soft herbs like parsley, basil, or dill. What would you put in a salad? Get it on that bread.

Let’s not forget the actual greens. I think the BA photo department didn’t trust me on this one (see photo above, then add more greens), but you should: Use the same amount of greens as you would in your sad desk salad. I’m talking 3 loose-packed cups. If I have something from a bag like fancy-pants arugula, workaday baby spinach, or the inimitable “spring mix,” I might toss it with a tsp. of red wine vinegar first so it wilts a little and stays in place. Bibb lettuce or something similarly crisp will just need a firm smooshing once you mount the top layer of bread. It’s going to look like too much, but go with it. This is when the saladwich fulfills the promise of its name.

You’re going to want some good, deli-style packaging. (Read: This thing is juicy.) I wrap the saladwich tightly in wax paper or parchment, then tightly again in foil, then I put it in a Ziploc. If my bread is substantial enough, I make it the night before. Come lunchtime, everything’s melded beautifully, the greens have softened in the acid from the mustard and tomatoes, and I’m not trolling for snacks because all carbs are present and accounted for in one delicious, well-wrapped meal.

So now you know my lunchtime secret. Let me know if you try it. We can talk about breakfast some other time.